


Head Up High

by Celestlian



Category: Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Gen, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2019-10-11 18:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17452256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestlian/pseuds/Celestlian
Summary: A few years down the line, Vex is travelling alone - that is, until a certain alchemist stumbles into her midst. Fresh from a prison break, Varian is confused and lost, and most of all, scared.Also on the run, Vex can sympathise.





	1. Hiding

At first, it’s quiet.

 

Vex sits on a log, starting her fire. She’s all set up for the night. After rubbing a few sticks together, she’s got a fire going. The flames cast a gentle, warm light over her tent. Vex scoffs when she sees the dancing glow, in sync with the movement of the flames in front of her. Nothing about this situation is gentle and warm.

Stalyan and the Baron have come back, and destroyed Vardaros. Quaid is nowhere to be seen. It’s said he either fought to the death or ran away - the truth differs.

As Vex feeds more wood into the fire, she wonders which rumour is true. It’s more likely that Quaid fought to the death. Though what if...what if he’s out there, travelling through the forest, a sword on his belt, wide brown eyes staring around with a sense of paranoia for any sign of danger?

Vex leans forward, hands clasped together, resting on her knees. She stares into the flames. She feels a sting - either due to Quaid’s possible betrayal, or due to the scenario that he might, quite possibly, be scared and alone.

Well, that’s what she is, isn’t she? Scared and alone.

Maybe, Vex theorises, she wishes Quaid were in the same situation as her because then she wouldn’t be feeling so crushed. Maybe she wishes he were alive because then she could find him.

There’s a glimmer of hope in her olive green eyes before it dies away, remembering how she managed to escape the burning city.

Stalyan and the Baron are still out there, and she is here, alone.

Well, as long as Quaid is in the same situation, she’s not truly alone.

Maybe she can find him, tell him everything she’s been through, defeat the Baron togeth-

 She cuts off her hopeful thoughts with a shake of her head.

_No. You don’t have time to find him. You have to keep going. Otherwise, you’ll be dead._

She’s staring into the fire, contemplating her decisions for a few moments when she hears a noise.

The snap of a twig.

Vex is on her feet instantly, knife in hand. People should always be careful when they’re alone, especially sixteen-year-olds such as her.

There’s a stumbling noise, the sound of a groan. More shadows in the mist surrounding the forest on this foggy night.

Vex is guarded, eyes narrowed, head straight as she stares down her opponent.

All of a sudden, someone stumbles forward - a boy with a blue streak in his hair.

”You have to help me,” he gasps out.

Then, without warning, he collapses into Vex’s arms, and her knife clatters onto the earth.

 


	2. Sunrise

Blue eyes flutter open. A hand to a pounding head.

” _Shit,_ ” Varian breathes, and sits up, staring at his feet.

He remembers everything. The prison break, the running, the breathing hard, and...

And...

All of a sudden he’s stalking out the tent, looking around frantically. A girl with twin plaits comes back with firewood. She raises an eyebrow at him. Varian laughs nervously.

”I-I uh...”

”Sit down kid. I made breakfast.”

”I’m the same age as you,” he says, suddenly a bit sulky. The girl raises an eyebrow.

”No offence, but you don’t look it. Eat.”

She gestures to the plate of food. Now looking at the scrambled egg, Varian realises his hunger has come back tenfold. Varian thanks her before tucking in with his hands, thanking the Lord he found the girl beside him, eating too.

They eat in an uncomfortable silence. Then, the girl speaks up.

“So. Where’d you come from anyway?”

Varian analyses her. Her accent, her attitude...it isn’t like Corona, to be like that. She regards him with a suspicion that’s foreign to him, the kind that makes you feel on edge, the hairs raising on the back of your neck.

He’s glad the ‘looks can kill’ metaphor isn’t true. If it was, he’d be dead by now.

Varian chews on the food slowly, unsure of how to reply. He realises the girl’s impatient when she huffs in annoyance at his unintentionally prolonged silence, putting her plate down on the ground.

” _Fine_. We’ll start with names. I’m Vex. And you are?”

This is it. This is the chance to make up a fake identity, to start over. He doesn’t have to be Varian from a prison, the alchemist who attempted to kill the royal family. He can be...be...

Who? What’s the point in starting over if it’s only a way of running from your past mistakes?

He takes another bite, then swallows.

”Varian.”

”Huh. Varian. Strange name.”

Varian isn’t sure what to make of that.

He watches as Vex then picks up her plate and continues from where she left off. He resumes eating his own food, the two lapsing into a silence that’s more comfortable than before.

 _Varian_. That’s him. He isn’t anyone else.

The sun paints the sky pink and gold, and as Varian turns to stare at the sunrise, he feels her eyes on him, watching him, analysing his every move. He turns and offers a smile.

She doesn’t smile back.

 


	3. Calm

It’s early in the afternoon. Vex is walking, letting Varian nibble on the bread she’s recently come across. Her guest is  _exhausted -_ and she still doesn’t know how he got here. Not a great start, she has to admit.

The two stop at a clearing, and Vex stares around the place.

”Where the hell is this?” 

Varian blinks as he finishes his bread. He shrugs. “I don’t know. I followed you.” 

Vex’s head snaps round to give him a glare. Varian only matches her glare with a smug smile. Vex opens her mouth, about to retort, when she realises - he’s right. _She’s_ led them here. She can’t blame him.

That makes Vex even more annoyed, and   as she stalks forward to avoid Varian and the crumbs on his mouth and his slow steps and- 

“Could you not walk any faster?” 

The sixteen-year-old spins round, facing him. Varian raises an eyebrow. 

“I’m exhausted.” 

“I know, you look terrible.” 

Vex sees the corner of Varian’s mouth twitch upwards. 

“Thanks.” 

Vex blinks. She stands there, unsure of what to do. No one’s ever teased her like that before. She feels strange. 

Pushing down her feelings, Vex huffs and turns away. 

“No, no thanks. We need to get going.” 

Vex picks some blackberries and eats them as she walks. She takes advantage of the silence between Varian and her, and analyses the clearing. 

It’s big. Really big. There’s trees everywhere, and flowers, and it isn’t like Vardaros at all. 

Vex shudders, still remembering the hell that broke loose that fateful day, and moves forward. 

As she does, she hears a twig snap. The sixteen-year-old spins round, knife in hand. She groans when she sees Varian analysing a flower.

“These are my favourite flowers. They’re very pretty, aren’t they?” 

Varian takes one and puts it behind his ear. 

Vex ghosts a hand over her face, then lets her arm drop to her side. 

“What are...what are you doing?” 

“You sound so unsure of yourself, Vex,” Varian says suddenly. It takes her aback, makes her dig her boots into the ground. 

“What?” 

“You sound unsure of yourself. You don’t know this place, do you?” 

Varian suddenly looks at her, and Vex purses her lips. 

“Varian,” she says slowly. “I have been on my own for  _six months._ I know my way around.” 

Vex turns away, beginning to walk off, when she hears fast footsteps and sighs. Varian’s running up to her, no doubt. 

“Have you been alone all this time?” 

Vex pauses. She turns to him. She takes a deep breath, remembering how Quaid had pushed her away from the Baron, into the Woods. She nods. 

“Yes.” 

The two fall into silence. They walk, away from the clearing, away from the flowers that Varian loves.


	4. Night

Varian doesn’t speak as the two walk on. He doesn’t speak when they set up camp for the night either. 

 _Six months._ That was how long Vex had been alone. Varian isn’t sure what happened, and why she’s like this. Maybe she’s traumatised. Maybe she isn’t. 

 _It’s best to leave it for now,_ Varian thinks as he stares up at the sky. It’s cold. He wraps his prison uniform tighter around himself. 

Varian hasn’t remembered what it’s like, to be outside - not until now. He remembers his father talking to him about books outside, he remembers his mother talking to him quietly in the grass. 

And he remembers his mother’s grave, silent and waiting, sitting in the graveyard. 

Varian is suddenly glad he hasn’t said a word. 

Vex is getting wood. Varian tears his gaze away from the sky to at the wood near the trees. He suddenly has an urge to create. He has no potions to do alchemy, but he’s sure he can do a bit of woodwork...

Varian gets to his feet and stumbles over to the trees, shivering. His teeth chatter wildly as he grabs a sturdy long piece of wood and carries it back to where the fire is. 

“What are you doing?! I told you stay near the fire!” 

Varian looks up at the exasperated face of Vex, who is carrying firewood. He snorts. 

“It’s fiiiiine, I only went a few feet.” 

“I...” Vex sighs. “Whatever.” 

She plops down beside him and stuffs wood into the fire. 

“How are the geese doing?” 

“Good. They’re nearly done.” 

“That’s good.” 

Vex had caught a goose today, one that was wandering near the lake. How Varian had caught the other one he had no idea - he’d squawked at it, ran after it, and had nearly fallen into the lake grabbing it. The bird had nearly nipped his nose.

Overall, it wasn’t really a good start to surviving in the wilderness.

Varian begins to whittle the wood he’s holding in his hands. He remembers that he watched someone shoot an arrow when he was little, and he’d thought it was the coolest thing ever. He’d tried many times, but he’d always failed. Thus, he gave up. 

Looking back, he shouldn’t have. Archery was good for hunting, and even better when it came to fighting, he thought. And so, he decided he was going to relearn archery, no matter how long it’d take. 

Varian doesn’t speak as he shaped the wood into an arrow. He’s still mulling over how he’d got out of prison. 

Of course, there was a prison break. There was bound to be, with so many faults in the system. Varian had gotten himself out, then had followed the other prisoners. He’d gotten past the guards, and ran down the hill and out into the city, past Old Corona, and landed here. 

At least, that’s all he can recall. 

Varian’s about to get to his feet when Vex speaks. “The geese’s done.” 

Varian nods. He puts down his makeshift arrow and eats, silent. Vex stares into the fire. Her arms are wrapped around her knees. Varian frowns slightly. 

“You’re not eating.” 

His voice comes out rougher than he means it to.

“I’ll eat later.” 

Varian nods again and continues eating. Vex stares into the fire in silence for a few more moments before speaking.

”Varian, how did you get out?” 

“What?” 

“You clearly got out of prison, you’re still wearing the damn uniform.” 

Varian blinks. He realises that yes, he is - he’s wearing orange that makes him stand out from the surrounding he’s in. 

Varian tells her. Vex nods, silent as she listens. Then, she speaks again. 

“My home perished. It was set on fire by a bunch of criminals. I’m on the run, too.” 

Vex says it emotionlessly. She doesn’t look at Varian, as if she can’t bear to. Varian’s eyes widen. He doesn’t know what to say. His mind races with thoughts. _How do you respond to that? How do you-_  

Luckily, he’ll never find out because without a word, Vex gets her goose and heads to her tent.

Varian sighs. He turns his face to the sky and closes his eyes. 

“Lord help me,” he mutters. 

Then, he goes back to eating his goose.

When he closes his eyes that night, Varian isn’t reminded of what happened to him. He can only think of fire, smoke and ash, amber-like, engulfing all in flames. 


End file.
